A very special Discovery

The Discovery now resides on the River Tay and is packed with history. David Bowers visited it

Standing on the deck of a three-masted barque berthed on the River Tay in Dundee on a sunny autumnal morning, it was difficult imagining this vessel trapped in a sea of ice over two long Antarctic winters as fierce snow gales eclipsed its dark, alien form against the all encompassing whiteness.

The age of exploration was drawing to a close by 1900, although Antarctica still challenged scientific, meteorological and geographical investigation with national prestige being the underlying theme. This led the Royal Geographical Society into commissioning a ship named Discovery in honour of others that had sailed the perilous southern oceans.

A contract was duly awarded to the Dundee Shipbuilders' Company; a logical choice as this city's shipbuilders had a fine reputation for building whalers that could withstand the vicissitudes of Antarctic sailing conditions.

Imagine a maelstrom of green water sweeping over the decks, a howling gale threatening to carry away the sails, and a menacing iceberg on a collision course and you will get the picture.

The keel was laid down on the River Tay on 16th March 1900 and the ship was expediently launched just over 12 months later on 21st March 1901 by Lady Markham, wife of Sir Clements Markham, President of the Royal Geographical Society. The design called for a wooden hull that could withstand the pressure of being trapped in ice, and sail was the main form of propulsion, with a 450 hp, triple-expansion steam engine supplied by Gourlay Brot...

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• By : David Bowers
• In : Best of Scotland
• Issue : 16
• Page : 42
• Words : 1,083